HENNEPIN COUNTY, Minn. — An investigation into David Hutchinson's behavior during his time as Hennepin County Sheriff determined he created a hostile work environment and violated the county's Non-Discrimination and Respectful Workplace Policy, according to a recently released report.
The investigation, which began in April 2022 and was conducted by independent firm Amy Kern & Associates, determined Hutchinson "engaged in racist, sexist, harassing, bullying and retaliatory behavior" and had a pattern of "communicating in a demeaning and bullying way" to staff in his office.
The investigation report was made public after the Hennepin County Board voted to censure Hutchinson at its meeting on Dec. 15.
"This public censure is warranted," Hennepin County Commissioner Marion Greene said at a committee meeting last week. "It's that simple."
According to the report, Hennepin County hired AK & Associates to investigate allegations made against Hutchinson following a staff meeting on April 19, 2022. During that meeting, witnesses said Hutchinson threatened to remove people who raised concerns about timecard reporting, yelled at multiple Command Staff members and stormed out while saying he "might put everyone on paid administrative leave."
Staff members reported they feared Sheriff Hutchinson because of his angry, threatening behavior, the report said.
Civilian and Command Staff told investigators they were concerned about Hutchinson's behavior and the "potential for self-harm" prior to that April meeting, after he crashed a department vehicle near Alexandria on Dec. 8, 2021, report documents said. Though he initially denied driving the car, Hutchinson eventually pleaded guilty to a DWI.
According to the report, witnesses said Hutchinson at times did not go into the office for weeks, became paranoid when staffers had their doors closed and falsely reported that he heard Major Dawanna Witt was campaigning for sheriff while on duty.
Regarding his retaliatory behavior and bullying, witnesses who spoke with AK & Associates said Hutchinson:
- Made derogatory comments about gay staff members, used the word "fa**ot" and referred to employees as "Gay [staff member name]"
- Multiple times when he saw someone he didn't like he said "should we kill him?" and put his hand on his gun
- Made racist and sexist comments toward staffers
- Called someone "retarded" to a member of the Command Staff who had a family member that is developmentally disabled
According to the investigation, Hutchinson also sent a text to a staffer on Dec. 30, 2021 about a Black candidate for sheriff who was trying to secure the DFL endorsement. "She get (sic) dfl for sure. Black all the (sic) care about," he wrote, and "People are sick of black people getting things solely on being black."
AK & Associates said in the report that Sheriff Hutchinson and his lawyer were contacted to participate in the investigation multiple times in October. Neither Hutchinson nor his lawyers responded.
In Feb. 2022, Hutchinson announced that he would not seek reelection. Hennepin County went on to elect Major Witt for sheriff, who will be the first woman and person of color to lead the department.
Then in May, the sheriff announced he'd take a leave of absence for "health-related reasons."
In recent months, Hutchinson had his Minnesota Board of Peace Officer Standards and Training (POST) license suspended, and the Hennepin County Board of Commissioners voted last month to approve a 30-day suspension of Hutchinson's pay.
Hennepin County Sheriff-elect Dawanna Witt will take the Oath of Office and be sworn into her post on Jan. 3, 2023.
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